Located a 5 to 7-minute walk from Watanabe-dori Station, Regional Cuisine Tsugumi is a renowned Japanese restaurant. Here, you can indulge in luxurious course meals featuring Kue (a type of fish) and enjoy Fugu (pufferfish) courses during the winter months. The restaurant has been recognized as one of the top 100 Japanese restaurants in the West from 2021 to 2025 and has also been awarded Tabelog Bronze from 2022 to 2026.The attentive service and explanations from the owner leave a lasting impression, and the warm atmosphere of the restaurant adds to its charm. Lunch is particularly appealing, with online reservations often available even a few days in advance.Here’s what I enjoyed during my visit:-----------------------------◾️ Hassun We started the course with a beautiful Hassun that captures the essence of summer. It featured a variety of dishes using local Kyushu ingredients, including vinegared purple yam, red jellyfish, moringa seaweed, baked shellfish, dengaku-style red eggplant, fried majako (a type of fish), soy sauce-pickled bitter melon, salted spear squid, and edamame.◾️ Sashimi The sashimi platter included Kue's outside skirt and aji (horse mackerel) tataki. Dipping it in a spicy blue chili soy sauce really enhances the natural flavors of the seafood.◾️ Kue with Ponzu This dish features various parts of Kue, including the flesh, stomach, engawa (fin), peritoneum, and skin, all mixed with ponzu sauce. Each part offers a different texture and flavor, beautifully complemented by the refreshing acidity of the ponzu.◾️ Fried Kue The fried Kue is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, served with a variety of condiments including Manji peppers, young ginger, sesame, and fish sauce. The delightful texture of the Kue combined with the perfect saltiness of the condiments was fantastic, and the crispy scales were a highlight!◾️ Kue and Clam Hot Pot The Kue is gently cooked in a clam broth until tender, creating a delicious hot pot. Even without any dipping sauce, the rich flavor of the clam broth permeates the fish, but adding the sansho oil ponzu or onion ponzu elevates the Kue's taste even further.◾️ Clam and Kue Rice Porridge To finish, we made a rice porridge by simmering the leftover broth from the hot pot and adding clay pot rice. The rice goes down smoothly, and the gentle flavor of the broth, combined with the aroma of egg and green onions, makes for a highly satisfying final dish.◾️ Dessert For dessert, we enjoyed Daifuku made with the Toyomitsuhime brand figs grown in Fukuoka Prefecture. Sprinkling it with broad bean flour added a kinako-like aroma, perfectly complementing the rich sweetness of the fruit—absolutely exquisite!-----------------------------This restaurant allows you to fully enjoy the high-quality ingredients unique to Kyushu, so be sure to visit!Thank you for the meal!*Instagram Gourmet Account https://www.instagram.com/shunsuke.naka/ (Over 10,000 followers!)*Gourmet Blog https://syn-gourmet.com*Comprehensive Links https://lit.link/syngourmet
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